The first publically owned solar farm in Greater Manchester was officially opened in Rochdale on Thursday 26 March.
Rochdale Borough Council invested in the one acre farm as part of its longer term goal to become the greenest authority in the country and to eventually create a Local Energy Company.
Rochdale is already one of the top ten authorities nationally for wind and power development, with three pilots – one wind and two solar – currently producing renewable energy.
The new solar farm is located next to Rochdale Leisure Centre and consists of 1,000 photovoltaic panels erected on unobtrusive, ground-mounted frames, which produce 250kWp of power, cutting the Leisure Centre’s fuel bill significantly.
The farm also generates income through the Government’s Feed in Tariff subsidy (FiT) which is guaranteed for the next 20 years.
Other renewable energy projects in the borough include solar panels on the roof of Heywood Sports Village and a 11kW Gaia wind turbine, which has proved so successful that the Council is considering development of two further medium-sized 500kW turbines at Hopwood Hall College.
In addition to the financial savings, the project will offset 117 tonnes of CO2 annually. This will help the council reach the targets of the Greater Manchester Climate Change Strategy, in which they agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% by the year 2020.
The Rochdale Green Action Plan is the council’s overarching sustainability strategy and highlights a strong ambition to work with green energy generators. It is hoped that encouraging such long-term investments will create new jobs and set Rochdale as Greater Manchester’s green energy hub.
By generating income from renewable energy, Rochdale Borough Council could generate new revenue streams, fund municipal services, put land assets to work, underwrite energy security and offset soaring energy prices, as well as fulfil its renewable power and carbon reduction obligations.
